GAINESVILLE, Fla. — One year after winning college football’s highest honor, University of Florida star Tim Tebow was pulled from consideration for Playboy’s pre-season All-American team because the magazine conflicts with his Christian beliefs, a school official confirmed. Tebow, who last year became the first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy, comes from a family of missionaries and is a devout Baptist.
Assistant Sports Information Director Zack Higbee said he chose not to nominate his quarterback for the Playboy spread based on what he knew about Tebow’s spirituality. “I’ve been working with Tim since his first day here, and I know his priorities and his family,” Higbee said. “He has that trust in me to make the decision.”
Higbee said Tebow supported the move when told of it this month. Playboy Sports Editor Gary Cole downplayed the university’s decision, however, and said that Tebow would not have made the team anyway. Tebow, 20, is not the first high-profile college athlete to reject Playboy for religious reasons. Danny Wuerffel, another Heisman-winning Gator and a childhood idol of Tebow’s, turned down a spot on the team in 1996. Georgia Tech senior Andrew Gardner made the cut for this year’s team but declined the award.
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